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Review and Herald, Vol. 88, No. 24.

A Song of Praise
Earlier text: A Song of Praise

How to Keep Cool in Warm Weather

By D. H. KRESS, M. D.

D. H. KRESS, M. D.
Warm weather is here. Many will consider it necessary to “go somewhere,” in order to keep comfortable; however, it is entirely possible to be comfortable at home, provided one knows how, and is willing to put the knowledge into practise.
The human body is a wonderful piece of mechanism. It possesses the power of adapting itself to changes in external temperature in such a way that the temperature internally remains always practically the same.

Cooling the Body

The internal temperature is maintained by means of the circulatory system. The temperature of the liver and of some of the deeper muscles, in which the greatest amount of oxidation takes place, probably ranges from 102° to 105° F., while the mucous membrane of the mouth has a temperature of only 98.6° F., and the temperature of the skin is still lower.
The heated blood from the internal organs and muscles is constantly being brought to the surface of the body for the purpose of cooling. The cooled blood is then carried back again to keep cool the internal organs. When the weather is cold, impressions are made upon the sensory nerves of the skin to that effect, and these impressions are
conveyed to the blood-regulating centers. As a result, the surface vessels constrict, and less blood is permitted to be brought to the surface for the purpose of cooling. This accounts for the white-skin, or goose-flesh appearance noticeable on a cold day. It is nature’s method in self-protection.
Some have imagined that alcohol has a warming influence in cold weather, because, when they are under its influence, a sensation of warmth is experienced. There may be a feeling of warmth when the internal temperature of the body is actually lower. Alcohol, by paralyzing the vasoconstrictor nerves, causes dilatation of the blood-vessels of the skin, thus permitting a greater flow of blood to the periphery, or outer surface. The increased amount of warm blood in the periphery produces a sensation of warmth to the nerves of sensation. While there exists a sensation of warmth, the blood is being too rapidly cooled. The internal temperature may be several degrees below normal, and the person be unconscious of it. Drunkards, when exposed to the cold, may be in danger of death by freezing, and yet not appreciate their danger.
While in cold weather the blood-supply to the surface is shut off to some extent, in warm weather the peripheral blood-vessels and capillaries dilate, and permit a larger flow of blood to the skin for the purpose of cooling. This accounts for the red, flushed face and the swollen hands. The cooling of the blood is brought about by the increased evaporation of moisture from the surface. On a warm day an adult may give off from two to four pints of moisture every twenty-four hours, and yet not perspire sensibly. If the weather becomes very hot, more moisture oozes out, and becomes visible on the skin. The moisture on the skin answers the same purpose as the moist cloth surrounding a pitcher of water on a warm day.
In tropical countries, drinking-water is usually kept in cloth bags, hung up where the breeze can reach them. No matter how warm the breeze may be, it will aid in cooling the contents of the bag. For the same reason, men and women who do a moderate amount of work, and, as a result, perspire some, suffer less from heat than do those who sit quiet, and are constantly trying to keep cool.

Seasonable Food

Diet is an important factor in keeping cool on a warm day. In cold weather we feed our furnaces or stoves, in order to keep our houses warm. In warm weather, less fuel is required.
The human body corresponds to a house. It has within it a furnace, with an automatic stoker, or fireman. When impressions of cold are made upon the skin, they are communicated to the heat-regulating centers in the brain; consequently a greater amount of fuel is automatically fed to the furnace of the body, and a corresponding amount of heat is produced. This calls for a greater amount of fuel.
In warm weather it is not uncommon for people to eat the same food, and in the same quantity, that they consume in cold weather; and then the fans have to be kept going to keep them from burning up. The lack of energy experienced during the summer months is frequently due to the clogging of the body-furnace with clinkers, or excess of fuel, and not, as is supposed, to too little food. In order to be in good physical condition and to feel comfortable, it is necessary to eat less.
In warm weather the digestive organs can not digest the same quantity or the same quality of food that they are capable of digesting in cold weather. Wisely, therefore, nature takes away the desire for many of the solid foods, and furnishes us with greens, vegetables, and fruits.
Dogs fed on the same amount of meat in warm weather as in cold weather become ill. The cat has epileptic fits if no change is made in her food in warm weather. Much of the common summer sickness is due to the absorption of poisons, resulting from the decay of unsuitable foods in the alimentary canal. Summer diarrhea is chiefly due to this cause. The free use of meat is, therefore, not only unsuitable, but dangerous, in hot weather. Highly albuminous foods, such as beans, lentils, and eggs, which readily undergo putrefactive changes, should be used sparingly. If possible, supply their place with ripe olives, nuts, or olive-oil, taken in moderation.
Fruits are the most desirable of all foods during the summer months. The food elements in fruit are served in a form to require very little effort on the part of the digestive organs to prepare them for absorption, while the acids prevent putrefaction, and are aids in the digestion of such albuminous food as it may be necessary to eat in addition to the fruit. They also contain liquid in the purest form obtainable to supply the needs of the body. Supercooked vegetables, such as cabbage, ferment readily, and should be used sparingly.
In warm weather the diet should be composed almost exclusively of cereals, breads, and fruits, with some additional wholesome relishes. Salads made of lettuce, celery, and tomatoes, with the addition of a little lemon-juice and olive-oil, will be found appetizing and healthful. It is best to eat these foods in as natural a state as possible. Should this diet be followed, there would be less summer sickness; sunstroke would be practically unheard of; and the outlay of money and time and strength required to go to a cooler climate in order to keep comfortable, would not be necessary.

The Clothing

Linen or cotton underwear is preferable to any other during warm weather. Light, thin, and loosely woven inner and outer garments allow free access of air, and permit free evaporation of moisture from the skin.
Anger, anxiety, and nervousness intensify the feeling of heat. Self-control is a most important aid in keeping cool. By planning beforehand the work of each day, and then performing it in a quiet manner, comfort may be experienced even in warm weather. Periods of complete relaxation may be taken for a few minutes at intervals during the day. A few minutes of complete relaxation before meals will be found beneficial. To complain of the warmth encourages the mind to dwell upon the weather, and as a result the heat is felt much more.
The drinking of ice-water or other cold drinks should not be indulged in too freely. Many a case of sunstroke has been caused by the modern soda-fountain.
Takoma Park, D. C.

MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Godliness With Contentment — No. 2

MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE

“On the other side of Jordan, In the sweet fields of Eden, Where the tree of life is blooming, There is rest for you.”
I have heard some very good music, by masters of song,—music from those whom the world calls great. I have heard singing which almost lifted me from my seat, and made me quite forget that I was still an earth-dweller,—still amid the cares and sorrows and perplexities of a world of sin. But never have I heard music which affected me just as did the singing of the song quoted above, which I heard the other day on the street.
I was hurrying home, perhaps a little more depressed in spirit than usual, and, withal, perhaps a little more forgetful of the “exceeding and eternal weight of glory” which is the certain inheritance of the faithful, when suddenly the words rang out:—
“There is rest for the weary, There is rest for you.”
The voice was shrill and uncertain, lacking every quality which seems essential to good music; still there was something so reassuring and victorious in it, and in the good, old-fashioned words of the hymn, that I turned my head quickly. There was a poor old street-cleaner, shabby and feeble, trundling his cart before him. He looked tired and neglected, but still the words rang out:—
“There is rest for the weary, There is rest for you.”
I am not at all sure that I kept back the tears, even though upon the busy street; for I was profoundly touched.
Then I thought how many there are, even of those who not only profess to believe, but who really do believe, that the “sweet fields of Eden” are very near, who go mournfully along the way, discontented and miserable.
Brother, sister, friend, be of good cheer. Hath not the Master himself said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you”?
What! should we go whimpering and mourning along the path which leads to the glory-lit mansions that we know our Lord is surely preparing for us? Besides this, we must not forget that he has placed us just where we are, and where he evidently wants us to be. Do we forget that he has said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord”?
“But,” you protest, “I am far from ‘good.’ Does the Lord still direct my path?”
Surely he does. “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” This includes us all.
Well, then, what are we repining and sighing about? But we are all of us likely to think that our trials and sorrows are not like those of other people. We are like the old woman who always insisted that she felt her sorrows much more keenly than other people felt theirs. But “there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.”
“Ah, but,” some one says, “it’s easier to preach than to practise, and I guess the best of us worry sometimes,—though perhaps these moralizers never have anything to trouble them, or they wouldn’t be preaching and writing so glibly about the sin of worry and discontent.”
Ah, my friend, how little we know of each other! One day as I was struggling under very deep and perplexing trial, unable to see any light ahead, and not knowing which way to turn, this thought suddenly came to me: “If only we could fully realize the truth that always there is an angel by our side, that he never leaves us alone, how much care and worry it would spare us!”
Well, he is there,—there can be no doubt about it,—the angel who has been with us ever since, weak and helpless, we were laid by loving hands in our mother’s arms. The angel who heard our first infant wailing has never left our side—never. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is perfectly acquainted with us. He has been with us through all the hard places, and held us up by his invisible but mighty hand many, many times. He knows the trouble which presses so sorely upon heart and brain, even this very hour; and when we have been sufficiently tried,—when the dross has all been burned out of our character, when we have become perfectly pliable and submissive,—then the word will go forth from the great Master Builder, “It is enough!” Then the tangles which have so perplexed us will straighten out, and the dark places will become light and the rough places smooth.
It is only because we are so slow in learning our lessons that we continue to be tried. Did you ever notice that when we fail to learn one lesson of patience, it will be repeated—almost the same way, lesson—again and again? This is because of the loving-kindness of our God.
I once heard of a great singer, who had a very ambitious pupil. To this pupil, the master assigned a lesson.
After a few weeks’ study, the student presented himself before his teacher, and asked for another lesson. The master said nothing, but assigned him the same music. Again he returned, and again received the same. At last he protested, but in vain. “Can you not trust me to do the very best by you, my son?” Again he accepted the same lesson until at last he asked for no other, and patiently labored to perform it perfectly. At last there came a day when the thoroughly trained singer stood before his master. He had at length perfected his task.
“Will you kindly give me a new lesson now, sire?”
“You need none; you have finished. My son, you are now the first singer of Italy—and the world!”
O let us learn the lessons of contentment and patience! They are well worth learning. They give beauty and symmetry—aye, they give sublimity—to the character which they are allowed to mold, and help to fit us for the “many mansions” where we shall forget these things which vex us now so sorely; for the “exceeding weight” of glory will be ours.
Lansing, Mich.

Seeing Ourselves

By Laura E. Richards

A MAN was complaining of his neighbors. “I never saw such a wretched set of people,” he said, “as are in this village. They are mean, greedy of gain, selfish, and careless of the needs of others. Worst of all, they are forever speaking evil of one another.”
“Is it really so?” asked an angel, who was walking with him.
“It is indeed,” said the man. “Why, only look at this fellow coming toward us. I know his face, though I can not just remember his name. See his shark-like, cruel eyes, darting here and there like a ferret’s, and the lines of covetousness about his mouth! The very droop of his shoulders is mean and cringing, and he slinks along instead of walking.”
“It is very clever of you to see all this,” said the angel, “but there is one thing which you do not perceive.”
“What is that?” asked the man.
“Why, that it is a looking-glass we are approaching,” said the angel.—Laura E. Richards.

Strength in Dull and Dreary Duty

To be strong in dull and dreary duty is about the hardest task a man can face. It is a noble thing to be brave in tragic moments; but it is even nobler to be brave and glad and strong and tender when the sky is gray, and when the road is dreary. It is in such seasons—and they form nine tenths of life—that he who waits on God will show his strength. — George H. Morrison.

This Year's Midsummer Offering — July 1

By William A. Spicer

THE distant fields have received the word that few new workers and few new mission enterprises can be authorized by the Mission Board this year, on account of insufficient income to meet the growing work.
Our brethren abroad reply with courageous words; but they will look toward the midsummer offering for signs of relief, as earnestly as ever a farmer watched the clouds for rain in time of drought.
Elder J. L. Shaw, of India, writes:—
While I must confess the action of the spring council breathed a more conservative tendency on the part of the Mission Board the coming year than I hoped would be necessary, yet we are not complaining. It is a fact that the Mission Board must cut its garments according to the cloth, and shape its policy in harmony with its income; otherwise, we should get into a hopeless condition in mission finance. . . . But we shall pray, and hope even against hope, for help immediately for India.
Elder J. W. Westphal, of the South American Union, writes regarding the cutting down of South America's call:—
I confess it rather took my breath away when I read it, and ever since my mind has been running trying to think what we can do. . . . But if the burden falls equally on all fields, we can not complain. I am one who believes in working within the limits of our income. We want to be told plainly each year whether the situation will admit of enlargement, or whether we must hold back.
Now, nearly a hundred thousand Seventh-day Adventists can this very midsummer send the word to all the mission fields that the coming autumn shall see new missionary recruits moving forward again. The inflow of gifts for missions must decide it. And on Sabbath, July 1, is the time for the special gifts.
Workers are under appointment for India, for South America, and for China and other parts. Week by week the reports from our brethren show the pressing need. Surely the Lord will enable his people to respond with the largest midsummer offering ever laid on the altar of missions.
In India there are millions who can understand the message in English, in the populous cities of the empire, and not an English evangelist to give his time to the work.
In Brazil, a country the size of the United States, our staff of ordained ministers is not sufficient to place one minister in charge of two states.
In China—what can be said! We hear of companies keeping the Sabbath, calling for the missionary to visit them, and calling in vain; because the workers are so few. We hear of meetings away in the interior, with heathen men and women coming forward in scores to seek the Lord, as our missionaries present the deciding message.
God is himself at work away beyond our efforts, preparing for the quick finishing of this work. We have not to wait weary years in the dark lands for results. The fruitage is appearing so rapidly that the laborers are crying to God, and appealing to their brethren, for help in gathering the harvest.
The situation is the fulfilment of prophecy. May the consecration of means to missions on Sabbath, July 1, be also in accordance with the prophecy: “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” W. A. S.

Doctrines and Deeds

By W. W. P.

It is quite the fashion now to belittle the value of what are called “the doctrines.” The effort to preserve in their purity the fundamental teachings of the gospel, as against the inroads of modern infidelity, is slurringly referred to as merely disputing about theories and dogmas. The people are encouraged to think that it makes little difference what views they hold about the incarnation, or the atonement, or the inspiration of the Bible, or the coming of the Lord; but that the main thing is to be engaged in some definite effort for the benefit of humanity. The inference, of course, is that it is no special benefit to humanity to establish faith in the Bible as a personal revelation from God, and to impart a clear and correct view of the whole work of our Saviour.
This matter needs to be understood clearly. It is granted without argument that there is much so-called teaching of religion which is merely a cold argument to maintain a creed, and that there are those who interpret the exhortation to contend earnestly “for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” to mean that they should hurl their theological darts against all who differ from them; but it does not follow from this that God’s method of saving men by faith in the gospel can be lightly set aside, and some method of the professional philanthropist substituted for it. Because in some cases the ministry of the living and life-giving Word has degenerated into a mere wordy warfare over the interpretations of the Word, which have been accepted in place of the Word, we are not warranted in concluding that the teaching of saving truth is of little importance. Salvation is wholly of God. It is what God in Christ has done for man, not what man can do for himself or for humanity, that rescues the lost. And in the acceptance of this salvation, believing precedes doing. We believe for salvation, and we do so because we are saved, and not in order to be saved.
In the time of Christ the professed people of God had reversed this order, and were working in order to purchase salvation instead of working out a salvation which had already been paid for, and would be implanted within them through their faith in the indwelling life. When they saw some of the wonderful works of Jesus, and asked him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Believing and working are inseparably connected; but the working is the fruit of the believing. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.” That plan of working which dispenses with faith in Christ and his teaching as its essential element, is simply self-righteousness.
Much is made in these days of what is called the practical side of religion. A human method is substituted for the divine. An effort is made to uplift humanity by working from without rather than from within. The golden rule is emphasized, but its interpretation is earthly and external. This view is clearly set forth in an editorial in a recent issue of a leading journal, as follows: “The New Experience cares less about the book of Revelation than about the sermon on the mount. Discussions about heaven and hell, purgatory and second probation, interest it less than discussions about child labor, tenement-house life, civic corruption, divorce, and the causes which lead to it. It regards life less as a preparation for a celestial kingdom of God; it works more for a terrestrial kingdom of God as the true consummation of earthly life. It pays less attention to individual salvation than the fathers did; it pays a great deal more to social redemption. . . . There are fewer religious excitements and more moral and civic reform conventions, fewer prayer-meetings and more college settlements.”
With this compare the following instruction given through the spirit of prophecy: “Man’s way is to devise and scheme; God implants a principle. . . . Circumstances can not work reforms. Christianity proposes a reformation in the heart. What Christ works within, will be worked out under the dictation of a converted intellect. The plan of beginning outside and trying to work inward has always failed, and always will fail. God’s plan with you is to begin at the seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness; the reformation will be outward as well as inward.”
In these two quotations we can see the difference between humanitarianism and Christianity. The one uses earthly methods and earthly power through which to establish an earthly kingdom in society, which it calls a “terrestrial kingdom of God.” The other uses heavenly means and a heavenly power through which to establish a heavenly kingdom in the heart of the individual. The one deals with society; the other with the individual. The one is of sight; the other of faith. The one chases after principles in the mirage of circumstances; the other establishes correct principles as a means of correcting wrong circumstances.
It is a false issue which has been created between the doctrinal and the practical in religion. The doctrinal is the practical, and the practical is the doctrinal. Doctrine is simply teaching, and the teaching of the Bible is the basis of all righteous practise. The sermon on the mount is just as much doctrinal as are the visions of John the revelator. And the teaching of the whole Bible is needed as the foundation of that righteousness which is of faith. “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for discipline [margin] which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.”
Do not accept man’s way of establishing God’s kingdom. It is simply Satan’s way of overthrowing God’s kingdom. Let your doing grow out of your believing. Let your works be the works of faith. Follow the example of Christ in going about doing good; but let your doing good, as in his case, be the fruit of being good. “He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” The tree good first, the fruit good as a consequence,—this is the divine order; this is the only way of salvation.
W. W. P.

A Deciding Message

By Editor

Editorial

“ELIJAH’S challenge to the people of Israel was: “How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” 1 Kings 18: 21, A. R. V.
“AND the people answered him not a word.” Human nature is prone to indecision. Christ ever challenged his hearers to decide things: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and Mammon.”
A Deciding Message.— This message of the coming of Christ and of Sabbath reform has been a challenge to all who hear it to decide, in the fear of God, which way they will take,—whether the way of tradition and the Papacy, which leads to death; or the way of God and his commandments, which leads to eternal life. It is a clear-cut, deciding message that is committed to us.
Danger in Indecision.— Writing of the importance of decision of character, Elder R. F. Cottrell (in the REVIEW, June 7, 1870) said:—
How important to have a plain question of duty decided at once and forever! It is dangerous to delay obedience under the excuse of waiting for more light. It is dangerous to do as Balaam did—to ask God again concerning that which he has plainly and expressly spoken. We need no sign from Heaven, and we shall have none, to convince us that we ought to obey the written Word. Has God spoken? Is it his Word? Then obey. Do not insult Heaven with the question whether it is right to obey. If one gets an answer to such prayers, it will be more than likely to be a permission to have his own chosen way, and continue in the way of disobedience, the end of which is death.
Do you believe God? Then you have no occasion to hesitate. Do what he says. He will not revoke it, nor grant you a special dispensation or indulgence. And the sooner you decide to believe and obey his Word, the better.

Which Is the Gloomy Doctrine?

By F. M. W.

THE great majority of the Christian world believe that with the righteous, death is the gate to endless joy. Some of these believers tell us that the view held by Seventh-day Adventists, that man is unconscious between death and the resurrection, is a gloomy doctrine, devoid of hope and comfort. Aside from all question of sentiment, the point to be determined, of course, is the teaching of the Scriptures. The Bible forms the only true basis of religious belief. What does the Bible teach regarding this question? Is there in man an inherent, immortal element, which after death lives on, independently of the body? The teaching of the Scriptures with reference to this matter is plain and unequivocal. It declares that God “only hath immortality” (1 Tim. 6: 16); that
in the experience of the human family Christ “hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1: 10); and that in obtaining this immortal existence it is necessary for the human family “by patient continuance in well-doing [to] seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” Rom. 2: 7.
If God only possesses immortality, and if that immortality is revealed through the gospel, and is bestowed only upon those who seek for it, then the conclusion is inevitable that man does not by nature possess it. The question arises, When will the seeking for it be rewarded? When will those who “by patient continuance in well-doing” strive to conform their lives to the divine requirements, have bestowed upon them the priceless boon of immortal existence? To this question, also, the Scriptures of truth afford a clear solution. Immortality is bestowed at the close of earth's history, at the second coming of Christ. Many scriptures might be cited as proof of this statement. The plain declaration of the apostle Paul, however, will suffice. He says:—
“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Cor. 15: 51-55.
It is of this occasion and of this time in the history of the human family that the Lord himself declares:—
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matt. 16: 27.
It is most reasonable that the last great day should be a day of awards. The judgment of the human family comes in connection with the close of earth's history. God does not assign man at death to heaven or to hell, and then at the end of the world determine the merits of his award; but the determination of man's eternal destiny is first settled in the judgment of the last great day, and by the findings of this heavenly tribunal every case is fixed. Proof of this may be found in Dan. 7: 9, 10, Rev. 20: 12, 13, and other scriptures.
We come now to a consideration of the condition of the dead between the close of earthly life and the resurrection, or day of final awards. The patriarch Job declares that the dead are in a sleep:—
“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” Job. 14: 12, 13.
Of man's condition during this sleep, the patriarch states in the same chapter, verse 21:—
“His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.”
Similar testimony as to the condition of the dead is borne by the psalmist:—
“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. 146: 3, 4.
One more scripture will suffice for our inquiry regarding man's condition in death:—
“For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” Eccl. 9: 5, 6.
Those who teach that the righteous enter heaven at death must also concede the passing of the wicked at death to some place of torment. If, indeed, it be pleasant to contemplate that the righteous who have died are enjoying the pleasures of heaven, it is equally unpleasant to contemplate the wicked, who constitute the vast majority of the human family, as enduring the torments of hell fire. If the first view be true, we are inevitably driven to the acceptance of the second position. This, therefore, reverses the gloomy aspect of the two opposing doctrines referred to at the opening of this article.
But there is still another consideration which materially affects the Bible teaching. In view of the fact that the dead can not realize the passage of time, it might be said that so far as the knowledge and consciousness of the righteous are concerned, they are ushered at death into the glories of the eternal world. On the occasion when the martyr Stephen closed his earthly account, the glories of heaven were opened to his vision. He said: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7: 56. With this scene before him he fell asleep in Jesus. The first object he will behold on awakening in the resurrection will be the same tender, sympathizing face of the Saviour in whose cause he suffered death. It will seem to Stephen that the scene was continuous; and that on the day of his martyrdom, Christ received him unto himself.
Two thousand years have dragged their weary length along. Kingdoms have arisen and fallen. Under the burden of sin the human family has lived and labored on, oftentimes in darkness and despair. To the living the road has seemed long, and the days weary; but to the one quietly sleeping in the Lord, it has seemed as but a moment of time, a flash of light. The scene is immediately changed from that of earth to that of heaven. This is the blessedness of the provision of God's grace. The toiler on life's battle-field becomes weary. The Father with tender hands lays him aside to rest for a little season; but at the end of the harvest-day, when the rewards of toil are gathered in, he who has fallen by the way shares equally with him who has labored on; together they rejoice in the glad harvest-home.
Whether we live until the coming of the Lord, or whether we die, and sleep in him until the resurrection morn, may we have a part in this glad rejoicing!
F. M. W.
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